Filing cabinet drawer motion control means



June 6, 1967 F. G. STARK FILING CABINET DRAWER MOTION CONTROL MEANS Filed Dec. 6, .f 1965 Ulli I N VENTOR. FOREST G. STA RK BY @mu/v, /wo, fau

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,323,853 FILING CABINET DRAWER MTION CONTROL MEANS Forest G. Stark, Jamestown, N.Y., assignor to Art Metal, Inc., Jamestown, N.Y. Filed Dec. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 511,915 7 Claims. (Cl. S12-331) This invention relates to filing cabinets of the type comprising shells or casings mounting tiling drawers or the like in horizontal sliding relation therein. More particularly, the invention relates to drawer suspension and travel guide mechanisms for simultaneously supporting and guiding the drawers against yawing relative to the cabinet casing when moving in and out thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to provide, in a filing cabinet or the like as aforesaid, an improved drawer support system comprising au improved rack-and-gear type mechanism at opposite sides of the casing; the gear means thereof being interconnected by a torque rod for equalizing the rate of drawer travel at opposite sides thereof, as the drawer moves in and out of the cabinet casing.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing showing 'by way of example one embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with portions broken away, of a filing cabinet embodying the invention; and showing therein a movable drawer in partially open position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, on enlarged scale, taken as suggested by line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, on enlarged scale, taken as suggested :by line 3*?, of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, on enlarged scale, taken as suggested by line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

The invention may be embodied in any type or style of filing cabinet or the like, but as shown by way of example in the drawing herewith it is applied to a filing cabinet comprising a shell or casing designated generally at 10. The shell is fabricated of sheet metal to include bottom flange, back, and side wall portions 12, 14, 16, respectively; while being left open at the front area thereof. The casing is dimensioned'and constructed to accommodate in free-moving relation therein a filing drawer such as of the type which is illustrated and indicated generally at 20.

The drawer shown herein by way of example essentially comprises a bottom plate 22; opposite side wall plates 24, 24; and a stiff back plate 26. The drawer is open at its front end and is arranged to be covered when pushed into the casing (FIG. 2) by means of a retractable door panel 25 which is swingable into horizontal attitude for sliding back inside the casing as shown in FIG. l to open the cabinet. The bottom plate 22 of the drawer terminates as indicated at 27 (FIGS. 1, 2) in a bottom front edge ange portion which is preferably equipped with rubber bumper pads or the like as indicated at 28 to bear against the bottom structure of the cabinet when the drawer is in its fully retracted or closed position in the cabinet. Furthermore, as shown herein at FIG. l, the drawer is supported at its rear end relative to the cabinet shell by means of vertically disposed hinge brackets comprising suspension mechanisms 29 at the opposite sides of the drawer.

In addition to the suspensions 29-29 at the rear of the cabinet, a drawer support and motion equalizing device is employed at the front edge of the cabinet to further support and to stabilize the drawer in its movements relative to the cabinet, and to guide it against racking 3,323,853y Patented .lune 6, 1967 ICC or yawing as it moves in and out of the cabinet. This mechanism comprises an equalizer rod-and-gear device which as shown in the drawing herewith includes a torque rod 3i) carrying at its opposite ends spur gears 32-32 which run in gear-rack portions of tracks 34-34 made 0f nylon or the like which are xed to the bottom plate 22 of the drawer 20 as by means of channel-shaped holders 35. The holders 35 are of course attached to the bottom plate 22 by any suitable means (not shown).

It is a particular feature of the present invention that the track devices 34 also include grooved, roller runway portions 36 (FIGS. 3, 4) accommodating in running relation therein the outer race portions 38 of ball-bearing devices 39-39 having corresponding inner races L0--4tl- As shown in better detail in FIG. 4, the inner races 40 each include integrally formed hub portions 42-42 which extend axially at opposite sides thereof for cradled support in U-shaped bearing support brackets 44, 44. The ybrackets 44-44 may conveniently be fabricated by vertically bending appropriately shaped struck-out portions of a bearing support bar member 46 which as shown herein may comprise a channel-sectioned member fixed at its opposite ends to span the space between the cabinet casing bottom flange portions 12-12 (FIG. 3).

The parts are so dimensioned and arranged that the bearing devices 33, 39, 40, vertically support the entire loads of the filing drawer on the bracket members 44, 44; thereby freeing the gear-meshing relationships of the spur gears 32 and the gear rack portions of the track members 34 from any binding interferences with free operation thereof. Furthermore, by virtue of this gear and bearing arrangement, any speed of rotation differentials existent :because of operational diameter differences between the spur gears and bearing members are readily accommodated in free-rolling fashion between the parts, thereby avoiding any friction inducing sliding type relative movements between the gear and the bearing parts such as would chafe and deteriorate the parts and/or interfere with Ysmooth running operations of the drawer.

The spur gears 32-32 are of course keyed to the opposite ends of the torsionally rigid equalizer shaft 30 such as by having their hub portions pinned to the shaft 3l) as indicated at 4g. Therefore it will be appreciated that whenever the drawer 20 is motivated to travel either out- Wardly or inwardly of the cabinet casing 10 the gear rack portions of the tracks members 34-34 at opposite sides of the drawer Iwill be so controlled by the gear and torquebar device as to insure that each side of the drawer moves relative to the cabinet casing at a rate equal to the rate of travel of the opposite side of the drawer. Furthermore, this effect is obtained without any frictional or other interferences with free motion of the drawer. To stabilize the drawer against vertical rocking upon the support rollers 38-38 the hinge devices 29-29 are provided each to comprise a front plate or leaf portion 50 pivotally connected to the corresponding rear corner portion of the drawer by means of a pin 52, and a rear leaf 54 connected to the cabinet rear wall by means of a pivot pin 56. The leaves are in each case hingedly interconnected by means of a pin 58. To limit the pull-out motion of the drawer a tension strut 60 is provided; its ends being slotted to slide-pivot engage the upper ends of the -pins 58-5S. The strut 66 is longitudinally dimensioned so that it will prevent the hinge pins 58-58 from spreading further apart when the drawer is being pulled outwardly, than will permit the drawer to travel outwardly beyond its intended outermost position relevant to the cabinet.

Thus it will be appreciated that when the drawer is fully retracted into the cabinet the vertical loadings thereon are taken by the rollers 38-38 supporting the drawer at its forward end while the support hinge devices 29-29 support the drawer at its rear end. 1`hen, as the drawer is pulled forwardly and progressively out of the cabinet the drawer load becomes substantially centered over the rollers 38-38, and then as the drawer reaches its fully extended position on the hinge supports 29-29 operate to prevent the drawer from pitching relative to the cabinet. Thus, throughout all motions of the drawer the vertical attitude thereof is stabilized by the hinge devices 29- 29, while the lateral or yawing attitude of the drawer is stabilized by the equalizer rod-and-gear device as explained hereinabove.

It will of course be understood that the improved equalizer bar gear and roller and bearing support arrangement of the invention may be applied to equal advantage and with equal facility to filling cabinet-drawer arrangements of other types, and wherein for example the drawer may be stabilized against vertical pitching by means of any other suitable suspension means, such as for example the conventional slide-suspension type devices, or the like. Hence, although only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein by way of example, various changes may be ymade therein `without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

- 1. In a ling device comprising a cabinet including bottom and side wall portions and a tiling drawer adapted for bodily movement horizontally through an open front portion of said cabinet, a drawer support and movement control mechanismjncluding,

a drawer front end support and lateral yaw control device comprising at each opposite side of said cabinet a combination gear rack and roller bearing track unit, each of said units comprising,

a track member mounted against the bottom of said drawer to extend in the direction of movements thereof, said track member including a gear rack portion and a parallel-disposed bearing run portion,

and a torque rod extending transversely of the forward end of said cabinet and having spur gears keyed to opposite ends thereof disposed respectively in operatively meshed relation with said gear rack portions,

bearing means comprising a pair of bearing devices each disposed adjacent an opposite end of said torque rod, each of said devices comprising an outer bearing race member disposed in lrolling bearing engagement with the corresponding of said bearing run portions and an inner race bearing member, each of said inner race members having integrally formed axially extending hub portions,

bearing support members extending from the bottom wall structure of said cabinet and engaging said inner bearing hub portions whereby to mount said bearing members in drawer supporting :manner while Vdisposing said meshing gear and rack portions in vertical load pressure-free relation,

and a second drawer support means disposed rearwardly of said front end support and yaw control device operative to stabilize said drawer against vertica-l rocking upon said front end support device.

2. A filing device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said track members are formed of nylon or the like.

3. A filing device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bearing devices are of the ball bearing type.

4. A filing device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bearing support members comprise vertically standing cradle-shaped abutments stru-ck out from and bent to extend vertically from the cabinet bottom structure.

5. A tiling device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second drawer support means is of hinged leaf type.

6. A tiling device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second drawer support means comprises paired vertical hinge type supports disposed at opposite rear side portions of said drawer and said cabinet respectively.

7. A tiling device as set forth in claim 6 wherein said drawer support and movement control mechanism also includes a tension strut member pivotaly 'connected at its Opposite `ends to said hinge type supports to limit the operation thereof so as to thereby indirectly limit the extent of outward movement of said drawer relative to said cabinet. y

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 552,441 12/1895 Matthews 312-33 l X 657,809 9/ 1900 Beebe 3 12.*331 874,581 12/1907 Flood 312-331 1,252,867 l/1918 Wall 312-331 1,730,154 10/1929 Loeb 312-330 1,806,174 5/1931 Morin 312-331 2,214,291 9/1940 Wyckoff 312-331 2,620,253 10/1952 Read et al 312-33l 2,858,180 lO/l958 Tashjian et al. 312-7 X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

JAMES T. MCCALL, Examiner. 

1. IN A FILING DEVICE COMPRISING A CABINET INCLUDING BOTTOM AND SIDE WALL PORTIONS AND A FILING DRAWER ADAPTED FOR BODILY MOVEMENT HORIZONTALLY THROUGH AN OPEN FRONT PORTION OF SAID CABINET, A DRAWER SUPPORT AND MOVEMENT CONTROL MECHANISM INCLUDING, A DRAWER FRONT END SUPPORT AND LATERAL YAW CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING AT EACH OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID CABINET A COMBINATION GEAR RACK AND ROLLER BEARING TRACK UNIT; EACH OF SAID UNITS COMPRISING, A TRACK MEMBER MOUNTED AGAINST THE BOTTOM OF SAID DRAWER TO EXTEND IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENTS THEREOF, SAID TRACK MEMBER INCLUDING A GEAR RACK PORTION AND A PARALLEL-DISPOSED BEARING RUN PORTION, AND A TORQUE ROD EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE FORWARD END OF SAID CABINET AND HAVING SPUR GEARS KEYED TO OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY IN OPERATIVELY MESHED RELATION WITH SAID GEAR RACK PORTION, BEARING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF BEARING DEVICES EACH DISPOSED ADJACENT AN OPPOSITE END OF SAID TORQUE ROD, EACH OF SAID DEVICES COMPRISING AN OUTER BEARING RACE MEMBER DISPOSED IN ROLLING BEARING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CORRESPONDING OF SAID BEARING RUN PORTIONS AND AN INNER RACE BEARING MEMBER, EACH OF SAID INNER RACE MEMBERS HAVING INTEGRALLY FORMED AXIALLY EXTENDING HUB PORTIONS, 